


Traveling Aces

by KittyKatBella



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Asexual Grunkle Ford, M/M, Multiverse, Original Character - Freeform, Sort Of, journal 3 spoilers at some points
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-03-26 18:08:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13863096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKatBella/pseuds/KittyKatBella
Summary: Based on my Mitosis AU, which is an AU where Ford accidentally makes a young clone of himself, whom he names Junior. In this AU, Ford, Fiddleford, and Junior all fall through the portal and have to travel the multiverse while trying to defeat Bill.





	1. It's Just Me, Myself, and I

Ford walked swiftly through the plaza, dodging aliens in the crowd. His eyes swept from one stand to the next as he searched. He had been doing this for three years now, and while there was still definitely a lot to learn, he had become very adept at identifying edible (for him) food.

Just as he came across a cart of strange-looking fruit, a small but strong force slammed into his leg. In a panic, he reached to pull his gun from his waist and shoot _whatever_ had attacked him, but when he looked down, the something looked to be like… a tiny human?

A tiny, extremely _familiar_ human.

Ford’s eyes widened in shock. Same brown hair, same glasses, same six fingers- what was a six-year-old him doing in the multiverse?

His brain slowed down a bit to process that the small him was blubbering and sobbing and extremely terrified, it seemed like. Although this didn’t help much; Ford only stood there, having no clue what to do.

* * *

He was definitely panicking at this point. And the breathing exercises he had learned certainly weren’t helping very much- if at all.

Thoughts ran through Ford’s mind, of what could happen to Junior if they didn’t find him in time, each even worse than the last. _He_ _could_ _be captured. He could be kidnapped. He_ _could_ _be sold. He could be killed._

He tried to not let any of this show- Fiddleford was definitely anxious as well, and Ford freaking out would only make him worse. Ford just needed to focus and find the tiny clone before something bad happened.

“A-Ah don’ see him a-anywhere, Stanf'rd,” Fiddleford gulped. “W-what if-?”

“No; no what-ifs,” Ford said sternly. Mostly because he thought he wouldn’t be able to handle them himself. “We need to focus on finding Junior, Fiddleford. Ok? I know you’re anxious- so am I- but breaking down like that won’t help us at all.”

“O-ok,” Fiddleford nodded, but still shaking heavily. As they searched throughout the crowd, they began to hear loud crying and instantly went to follow the sound, recognizing it as Junior. They found him standing near an alien fruit cart, sobbing loudly.

“Junior!” They both cried, hurrying over to the boy. Junior stopped bawling and reduced to sniffs and hiccups as Ford and Fiddleford kneeled down to look him over.

“Are you ok?”

“Are ya hurt?”

“For Tesla’s sake, Junior, you can’t just wander off like that!”

“Ya nearly scare us half to death, hun!”

“S-sorry,” Junior sniffed as Ford held his face and turned his head a bit, looking him over for injuries. “I-I didn’t mea-mean to…”

“I know,” Ford sighed, pushing Junior’s hair back to kiss his forehead. He then passed him to Fiddleford, who quickly pulled the boy into a tight embrace.

“We thought we lost ya, sweet pea,” Fiddleford murmured. “Ya really can’ scare us like that…”

Ford spotted a pair of boots nearby, shuffling back and forth, and stood up to face the person- only to be met with his own face. He blinked in shock, and the other mirrored him. His hand twitched at his side slightly.

“Who are you?” Ford asked. Fiddleford kept his eyes on the other Ford as he pulled Junior into his arms and stood up. Junior clung to his dad’s coat, hiding his face a bit, but still watching the interaction.

“My name is Stanford Pines,” the other man said.

“… _I’m_ Stanford Pines,” Ford said.

“Infinite possibilities, infinite dimensions, hun,” Fiddleford said softly. “Infinite yous.”

“H-he’s right,” the other Ford said. “Although I’ve never exactly met another version of myself before now.”

“Neither have I,” Ford agreed. “Well, at least from another dimension.” He cupped his chin and mumbled to himself, “Does he count as ‘another version’?”

“Ah don’ think so,” Fiddleford mused. “He’s just a copy'a ya- but smaller.”

“Who, Daddy?” Junior asked.

“Er- no one, sweetheart. Don’ worry about it.”

The other Ford looked confused. However, he didn’t have time to ask questions before a squad of what seemed like alien cops appeared, shouting for them.

“Stanford, what did you do?” Fiddleford yelped.

“I didn’t do anything!” Both Fords cried. The three men looked towards Junior, who was nibbling on a fruit resembling an apple. The boy froze and looked around at the others, seeming confused but understanding that he was in trouble- for some reason.

“What?” He asked. Ford sighed and pinched his forehead.

“Remind me to teach you about stealing,” he said. He looked towards the cops, who were quickly weaving their way through the crowd. “But not right now. We need to get out of here.”

“Um- mind if I tag along?” The other Ford smiled sheepishly.

“Fine, yes, let’s just get out'a here!” Fiddleford said. Ford took his hand and pulled him along as they ran, the other Ford hurrying to keep up. The dodged and weaved through the plaza, passing by the crowd of aliens rather quickly. Unfortunately, the cops were just a bit quicker, and were closing in on them.

“We have to get out of this dimension!” The other Ford yelled.

“Yes, excellent idea!” Ford agreed, pulling out a small handheld device. The arrow on the screen spun a bit as he tinkered with the dials, but finally it stopped, pointing northeast. “That way!”

The group changed direction, following the arrow to a crackling hole in the dimension.

“How do we know they won’ just follow us through?!” Fiddleford asked.

“It’s too weak to allow multiple groups through!” Ford explained. “Once we go through, it’s done! But we have to get through it together, or someone will be stranded here!”

Junior looked at his dads’ joined hands, then at the other Ford, and offered him a hand. The other looked a bit startled, but took his hand just as they reached the tear. The group fell through together, and the other Ford could feel the tear close on the corner of his coat, slicing off a small piece. The group fell into a pile, panting.

“Well… that worked,” Ford said.

“Ah think Ah bruised somethin’,” Fiddleford sat up and rubbed his lower back.

“Sorry,” the other Ford frowned and stood up, dusting himself off before helping Fiddleford up.

“I feel weird,” Junior said, standing beside his original as he picked himself up.

“What sort of weird?” Ford asked. Junior looked up, noticing his hair was hanging upwards. He giggled, patting it down, but it just went back to its shape.

“Hm. Interesting,” the other Ford said, looking around. Everyone’s coats were bundled up towards their heads, and everything else around them seemed to be standing on edge. “We seem to be in a sort of… upside-down world.”

“What’s odd is that gravity seems to be working that way,” Ford pointed up- down? “but we’re not falling.”

Junior jumped to reach his father’s arms, only to shriek as he began to fall towards the sky.

“Junior!” Ford cried, quickly grabbing him before he could fall too far. The boy whimpered and clung tightly to Ford.

“Well… that might answer that question,” Fiddleford spoke nervously. “There must be some kind'a connection ta the ground- but if ya ain’t touchin’ it er somethin’ connected ta it, you’ll fall…”

“Got it. No jumping,” the other Ford said. “It also looks like it’s becoming dark.”

“I say we stick together for the night,” Ford said. “But come morning, we should probably split up.”

“Go our separate ways,” the other nodded. “I agree.”

* * *

Ford looked around the clearing, watching the others. The other Ford and his Fiddleford sat across the fire pit, holding each other as they stared at the fire. Ford felt a weight in his chest as he thought of his own Fiddleford; what had happened to him?

His thoughts shifted from Fiddleford to the third person present- the small child, curled up in the other Ford’s coat as he slept at the base of a tree. He still hadn’t learned the story behind the young boy.

“So,” Ford cleared his throat, catching the other two’s attention. “The, ah, boy- Junior, was it?”

“Yeah; that’s Junior,” Fiddleford nodded.

“Right- how-” he struggled with his words. “What… happened there…?”

“Junior…” the other Ford rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “First you have to understand that I don’t regret a thing, about how he came about.”

“Ok…?”

“I’m going to be blunt- he was an accident,” the other Ford began, quietly. “I was working on a machine- a cloning device. It would take any organism and clone it, to exactly how it was as an infant. Same DNA and everything. I… I fell in.”

“You- you fell in?” Ford looked shocked.

“I tripped, ok?” The other turned red. “I-I didn’t mean to- by the time I got out, the process had started, a-and I hadn’t yet put in a way to reverse it. And… Junior came out two days later.”

“An’ yet it took _you_ nearly a year ta come out,” Fiddleford mumbled jokingly. The other Ford shoved him playfully.

“So he’s a clone…” Ford nodded.

“Yes- but we haven’t really told him yet,” the other Ford said. “I-I want to wait until he’s older- so just… please don’t say anything?” He looked almost pleading. “Really. I-I love him like a son, I do- I-I don’t want him growing up thinking he has to be exactly like- like me.”

“I won’t say a word,” Ford promised. “But… I-I don’t know, isn’t it a bit strange? Raising… yourself?”

“I’ll admit, it was odd at first,” the other rubbed the back of his head, “but honestly, now? Most of the time, I forget he’s even a clone. He’s just… Stanford Junior. My son.”

He smiled sheepishly.

“Alright,” Ford chuckled softly. “I won’t say anything. I promise.”


	2. Be Your Own You

“…we should tell him.”

“Tell ‘im what?” Fiddleford asked. He followed Ford’s gaze to Junior, who was sitting on the couch in the hotel room, his face buried in a book.

“That… you know,” Ford said quietly. “He’s a clone…”

“Do ya think he’s ready?” Fiddleford murmured.

“He’s ten,” Ford said. “This is around the time parents tell their kids if they’re adopted, right? Just a bit different…”

“…do ya think _you’re_ ready?”

“…no,” Ford sighed. “W-what if he gets upset? Or- or starts to hate me?”

“No doubt, he’ll be conflicted fer awhile,” Fiddleford nodded. “It’s a big thing ta find out. But Ah’m sure he won’ hold it to ya. That boy loves ya, hon.”

“Thanks,” Ford smiled softly. “I’ll… I’ll tell him soon.”

“Ok,” Fiddleford returned the smile and took Ford’s hand, kissing the back of it.

* * *

Junior giggled as he watched the small, frog-like creature. It was dark red, with little spikes running along its spine, and when it croaked, Junior could see a purple, forked tongue. On each toe pad was a small claw. He squinted slightly as he sketched out the alien animal, smiling proudly at his work. He wrote in neat, cursive writing along the top 'Spike Frog’, and beside that, he wrote the name of the dimension he had found it in.

He looked up just as the spike frog jumped off into the nearby pond, disappearing below the dark gray water. He waved goodbye, finishing up the last few details from memory before sitting up in satisfaction.

“Junior! Come here!” Ford called from the cave nearby.

“Comin’!” Junior called, quickly gathering his things and hurrying back to the cave. “I saw a really cool frog! It had little spikes and claws and a tongue like a snake’s!”

“Sounds neat,” Fiddleford smiled.

“Very,” Ford smiled nervously. “Junior, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Am I in trouble?” The boy asked, frowning.

“Did you do something to be in trouble?” Ford folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“No.”

“Then no, you’re not,” Ford sighed, sitting down on the cave floor. He motioned for Junior to do the same. Junior looked up at him curiously as he sat. Ford took a deep breath and looked down at his hands as he fidgeted with them.

“This has been a conversation a long time coming,” he began. “You know how babies come along, correct? Or the general idea.”

“Yeah. They’re half mommy an’ half daddy, or half each mom or dad if one of 'em is trans,” Junior smiled proudly. “An’ the baby grows inside the mommy or daddy for nine months.”

“Well… that’s not exactly what happened with you,” Ford rubbed the back of his head. “Ten years ago, I had built a machine- it would take an animal and basically make a clone- an exact replica, but younger.” Junior frowned slightly and Ford took another breath. “I-I fell into it. I didn’t mean to, but… two days later, you’re here.”

“…w-whaddya mean?” Junior asked.

“You’re… Junior, you’re a clone of me,” Ford revealed. “Just… younger. A-and please don’t take this as meaning I don’t love you- I love you more than anything. But… we thought you deserved to know the truth.”

Junior’s frown deepened as thoughts ran through his mind. He was a _clone?_ He wasn’t even his own person? His dad wasn’t _really_ his dad?

…he had lied, all these years?

He whimpered slightly as he began to cry, wiping at his face.

“Oh, Junior…”

The boy shrank away from Ford, scooting away from him. Ford looked as though his heart had been broken. Fiddleford frowned slightly, moving over to rub Junior’s bad.

“Ah figured it’d be a bit upsettin’,” he said softly. “If ya want, ya don’ gotta stay here. You can go think.”

“Mm-hm,” Junior sniffed and nodded.

“Alright,” Fiddleford nodded. “Jus’ stay 'round here, don’t go too far.”

“O-ok,” Junior nodded. He stood up and left the cave, back to the pond. Ford moved as though to follow him to the entrance, but settled back into his spot.

“Let 'im sit fer a bit, hun,” Fiddleford told him, setting a hand on his shoulder. “He pro'lly needs time ta think.”

“I know,” Ford sighed. “I know…”

* * *

Junior sat, staring at the ground in front of him, running a finger through the pond water. A large, red frog appeared, its head popping up above the water slightly. Junior smiled slightly, chasing it a bit with his finger. The spike frog swam away from it, but stayed close to the shore. It croaked slightly, jumping out of the pond and splashing Junior with water. The boy laughed, wiping the water from his face.

“I bet you have a nice mommy an’ daddy,” he said softly, running a finger along the frog’s back. “One’s who’re different from ya. Or maybe two mommies or daddies.”

The frog croaked and ribbited, wiggling slightly. Junior pulled his hand back, confused, and watched in awe as the frog split in two, both smaller than the previous one. Two genetically identical animals. The original hopped off, leaving the copy- the _clone_ \- with Junior. The boy grinned as the frog hopped onto his lap.

“Hey there, little guy,” he hummed, petting the alien frog. “Heh. I guess we ain’t so different, you and I. You wanna be my friend? I can’t make any 'cause we’re always movin’ around.”

The frog croaked and hopped onto Junior’s head. The boy giggled, humming and adjusting his glasses as he looked up at it.

“What should I name you?” He asked aloud, picking the frog up and holding them in both his hands. “Hm… how about Anura?” The frog rubbed happily against Junior’s hand. “Haha! Anura it is then!”

Anura jumped to the ground and into the pond, resting in the water and looking up at Junior with their large, round eyes. Junior smiled, tapping his hands slightly on the ground in front of him. He then frowned, suddenly reminded of why he was out here.

“Anura… I can talk to you, right?” He asked. They blinked. “Well… for me- for people- babies come from a mommy and daddy, or two mommies and two daddies. Two- not one, like you. But my pa just told me that… I don’t got a mommy like that. Never did. That… I’m a clone…” Tears welled up in his eyes and he wiped at them with his sleeve. “D-do you think I should be upset about that? I-I mean, Pa still loves me- b-but knowin’ that I… I gotta be just like him…”

Junior fell silent, sniffing. He watched as a few other frogs hopped around, each doing their own thing- each a clone of each other. Junior sat in thought. Each of them seemed to have their own personality, their own actions. So maybe he could, too.

“…I think I’m feeling a bit better, Anura,” he said, smiling slightly. “Wanna go back to the cave with me?”

Anura croaked and leaped into Junior’s coat pocket, making him laugh. He stood up as Anura buried themselves in his pocket, and he made his way back to the cave where his parents were.

* * *

Ford paced back and forth, biting at his nails nervously. Fiddleford sat by the cave wall, watching his boyfriend.

“Should we go get him?” Ford asked suddenly. “What if he doesn’t come back? What if he runs away?”

“Stanford, leave him _be_!” Fiddleford scolded lightly. “He needs his space ta think. It’s a big thing he just learned, ya know.”

“I-I know- I’m just nervous,” Ford said. “What if he gets hurt? What if he decides he doesn’t love me anymore?”

“Ah’m sure he’ll still love ya just the same,” Fiddleford assured.

“I hope so,” Ford sighed.

“Pa…?”

Ford spun towards the entrance to see Junior standing there, shuffling slightly. The boy took a deep breath, fidgeting with his shirt.

“I-I don’t mind that I’m a clone,” he began, “b-but I wanna be my- my own person, still…”

“Of course you can,” Ford sighed, coming over to kneel in front of Junior. “You can do whatever you want- I’d _prefer_ if you didn’t make the same choices as I have.”

“Really?” Junior asked.

“Yes. I… haven’t made all the best life decisions,” Ford chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “High six?”

He held up a hand. Junior looked at his six fingers- the same ones as his dad- and smiled.

“High six,” he repeated, clapping his hand to Ford’s.


	3. Lonely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Junior is 12 here.

Junior sat at the hotel window, staring outside at a group of alien kids playing in the street. Anura sat on the windowsill, staying still and peaceful as Junior ran a finger along their head. Anura seemed to chirp slightly at the touch.

Ford glanced at him, frowning slightly. Junior had hardly moved for an hour, and Ford was getting worried. He looked at Fiddleford, giving an asking look. The older man nodded at Junior.

‘Go talk to him.’

Ford stood up, slowly approaching Junior. The boy barely acknowledged him when he sat down, his eyes flicking to him for a second before returning to the window.

“Hey,” Ford said quietly.

“Hey,” Junior repeated.

“…are you ok?” Ford asked tentatively.

“…not really,” Junior mumbled, leaning against his dad.

“Well, what’s wrong?” Ford asked, rubbing Junior’s arm.

“I’m… upset that I can never make any friends,” Junior responded quietly. “'Cause we’re always movin’ from one dimension to the next. It’s kinda… lonely.”

“Oh…” Ford frowned awkwardly, not sure what to do. “I’m… sorry.”

Junior shrugged slightly, falling silent. There was no sound in the hotel room for a bit, apart from the light croaking from Anura, and an agitated chirp so Junior would resume petting them.

“I saw a cute boy,” Junior said quietly, almost too quietly for Ford to hear. “I kinda liked him.”

“…what did he look like?” Ford asked.

“He had brown hair an’ eyes, and glasses, and he was doodlin’ in the park we passed by, in the last dimension,” Junior recounted. “I would'a liked to talk to him…”

“I know,” Ford murmured. “And I’m sorry; I really am. But you know we can’t afford to stay in one dimension forever. We need to defeat Bill, remember?”

“I know.”

“Hey, as soon as we do, though, I promise we won’t go through dimensions anymore,” Ford smiled reassuringly. “We’ll stay in one place.”

“And… how long will that be?” Junior asked, as though he knew that that wouldn’t happen for a long time.

“I don’t know, Junior,” Ford sighed. “Soon, hopefully.”

“…ok.”


	4. Lullaby

Fiddleford sighed as he dropped the bag over his shoulder to the ground and adjusted Junior in his arms. The boy had been asleep for the past hour while Ford and Fiddleford tried to find a place to rest for the night. It was a bit difficult, considering how flat this dimension had appeared to be. But they were finally able to find a small cave in a mountain.

“I-I can take him, if you want,” Ford offered.

“No, no, Ah’m good,” Fiddleford denied, scared that the transfer might wake Junior.

“Alright,” Ford nodded, sitting down against the cave wall. Fiddleford said across from him, lowering Junior into his lap. The boy’s hand closed over Fiddleford’s shirt, and he snuggled into the man’s side as he continued to doze.

“…he really likes you, huh?” Ford asked quietly.

“Ah suppose he does,” Fiddleford smiled softly, looking down at Junior.

“I’m not surprised, really,” Ford chuckled. “Kids always have seemed to love you.”

“What can Ah say?” Fiddleford shrugged. “Ah’m just real good with ‘em.”

Ford laughed. The cave became quiet, not a sound coming from inside nor out. The moon shone through the entrance, casting light on the three of them. For the first time since this adventure had began, everything seemed peaceful.

“ _Noo… nnn…_ ”

The two men looked at Junior worriedly as he began to toss and turn. He whined and almost tried to wiggle out of Fiddleford’s hold. Fiddleford moved his hands, and Junior became still for a second before waking up crying.

“Oh, Junior, shh shh,” Ford cooed softly, reaching out for him. However, when Junior saw him, he cried harder and pressed into Fiddleford’s chest, as though he was trying to get away from his dad. Ford frowned.

“Hey, sweet-pea, what’s the matter?” Fiddleford asked, petting Junior’s hair.

“Bad- scary- eyes, eyes,” Junior whimpered, hiding his face in Fiddleford’s shirt. Ford looked heartbroken, Fiddleford saw when he glanced over at him. The southerner sighed lightly, continuing to shush and sooth the small boy, but it wasn’t working. Junior was still whimpering and sobbing.

“… _Blackbird singin’ in the dead’a night,_ ” Fiddleford began to sing quietly. “ _Take these broken wings an’ learn ta fly… all yer life…_ ” The lullaby seemed to be working. As Fiddleford continued, Junior’s sobs reduced to hiccups. “ _You were only waitin’ fer this moment to arise…_ ”

He continued to hum the words as Junior drifted back off, hands still clinging tightly to the man’s clothes. Ford felt an ache in his heart as he listened to the familiar words, sung in the even-more familiar voice he had grown to love back in college.

…and that he still appeared to love.


	5. Scars Tell A Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some one-shots about the backstories to a few of Junior's scars.
> 
> TW for blood and violence

"Don't hurt him!"

The plead was barely heard over the much louder crying coming from Junior. Said seven-year-old was being held by an alien, a knife held close to his throat. The alien snarled, claws tightening around the knife handle.

"You know what I want, Pines!" He snapped. Junior let out another shriek and a bit of blood seeped out from where the knife was.

"Stanf'rd!" Fiddleford gasped, clutching onto his arm.

"I know, I know!" Ford bit his lip. "Alright, I'll give the energy source back! Just let go of Junior, please!"

"Energy source first!"

Ford scrambled to take off his backpack, opening it and digging through to find the energy source. He pulled it out and held it up.

"See it? Let go of Junior and you can have it back," Ford said. Junior continued to sob in fear, shaking heavily. The alien shook his head.

"Energy source _first_ ," he repeated.

"Ford, just set it down-" Fiddleford begged.

"How do we know he'll keep his word?" Ford questioned, watching the monster.

"How do I know _you're_ gonna keep your word?" The alien asked, glaring.

"You're holding a knife to my fucking son's throat, that's enough reason!" Ford snapped.

"...alright, fine."

The alien let go of Junior and let him fall to the ground. He cried, holding his hands to his throat. Ford quickly hurried over to pick him up, leaving the energy source in his place. He carried Junior back over to Fiddleford, and the two of them began fussing over him as the alien left.

"Honey, let Daddy get a look at yer throat," Fiddleford said softly, lightly gripping Junior's hands and prying them away from the wound. Ford frowned, rubbing Junior's arm. "Alright, 't's not too bad... we can bandage it up."

He pulled off his scarf and wrapped it around Junior's throat to keep it from bleeding. They walked a bit before finding a spot to rest. Junior was still crying, although not as heavily. He hiccuped, rubbing at his eyes. Ford sat him in his lap, slowly unwrapping the scarf. Fiddleford tended to the cut, topping it with a dinosaur bandaid.

"How're you feeling, buddy?" Ford asked softly, holding Junior close. The boy shrugged, clinging to Ford's hand.

"Ah'm so sorry we let 'im getcha, hun," Fiddleford murmured, scooting over and holding Junior's face.

"I-it's ok, Daddy," Junior sniffed. "N-not yer fau-fault."

"Oh, Junior," Ford sighed, hugging him tightly. Fiddleford hugged the two of them, kissing the top of Junior's head.

* * *

Junior looked around the marketplace, bored. His dads were talking to an alien at one of the stands, but Junior didn't know what was going on, so he didn't pay attention. He spotted a fruit cart not too far away- or what he assumed was a fruit cart, even though he didn't recognize any of the food.

So he waddled over to the stand, away from his dads. He looked at the fruit, grabbing one. It was purple and oddly shaped, but Junior was hungry, so he bit into it. He grinned at the loud 'Crunch!' noise it made, and he sat down and continued to eat it.

Suddenly, a large tentacle wrapped around Junior's wrist, making him squeak in surprise and drop the fruit. The alien was yelling nonsense (well, it sounded like nonsense to Junior, he didn't have the collar thing his dads had) as he yanked Junior to his feet. The toddler shook slightly, confused and scared at the alien yelling.

The alien tugged at his arm, and Junior flinched and whimpered, starting to cry. The alien slammed his hand on the counter, pulling out a tool similar to a saw. Junior cried louder, trying to get away.

The loudest scream came from when the saw cut into his wrist. Junior had never felt pain this bad, and he didn't want to. This was by far the worst boo-boo he had ever had, and why wasn't Pa there to help, because he always came to help when he started crying, but the pain wasn't stopping and just got worse-

And then suddenly he was yanked up, and he couldn't see why because his eyes were squeezed shut, and he kept crying and holding his wrist, and it was wet and sticky and he didn't like it. And there was yelling, but Junior couldn't understand any of it, it was all in that same gibberish that the alien had been yelling.

And then he was moving, somehow, but the pain was overbearing and he couldn't focus on _how_ he was moving, only that he was and someone was pulling his hand up and wrapping something around his wrist. And he was still crying and screaming and clinging to the fabric by his side, and it occurred to him at some point that this must be his pa, and he was here to help make the pain better.

Only that didn't happen until they had settled into an old abandoned building. And his pa set him down and hugged him close, and Junior felt a little bit better, knowing he was there, and his dad took his hand and looked it over and wrapped it up so it wouldn't hurt anymore. Although the bandaid Daddy had to use to cover the boo-boo was boring, so he put a dinosaur one over it.

And after all that, Junior was really sleepy, so his pa held him close and Daddy sung a lullaby, and he felt nice and safe, and his wrist didn't hurt as bad anymore, so he curled up in Pa's lap and closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Ford looked up at Fiddleford, still rubbing Junior's back. Fiddleford looked severely distressed as he watched Junior.

"He got hurt, Ford," Fiddleford said quietly.

"I know, Fiddleford."

"Really really bad."

"I know, I know."

"He don't deserve that," Fiddleford said. "He's just so little- he don't deserve t'be hurt like that."

"And I agree, but... it's going to happen, Fidds. He's gonna get hurt, we're gonna get hurt."

"But this was avoidable! We could'a been watchin' 'im!" Fiddleford cried.

"So we know for next time," Ford held his hand. Fiddleford sighed and nodded, squeezing Ford's hand.

"Yeah. Next time."

* * *

 

Junior winced, leaning back against the wall of the building and panting heavily. He listened as the group of alien hunters passed outside. He sighed in relief, before noticing a sharp pain in his forehead, right above his eye. He reached up to feel it and pulled his hand back down, dipped in blood.

"Shit," he mumbled, staring at the red. Something must have gotten him- although only by a bit. The wound didn't feel too deep. He took off his glasses, rubbing the blood out of his eyes and digging through his bag. Anura poked their head out, croaking.

"Hey, An," Junior patted their head. "Don' worry, I'll be fine."

He took a few minutes to treat himself and bandage up the wound. Anura leaped out and settled in his lap as he rested. Now all Junior had to do was sit and wait. Hopefully soon his dads would send coordinates with where they would meet up.

Unless they had gotten hurt...

Junior shook his head, ignoring those thoughts. He couldn't think about that. They always turned up ok. Ten years in the portal, Junior thought he'd know that. Or maybe the pattern would be enough to comfort him. Surprise surprise, though: it never was.

But soon enough, the device his dad had built buzzed. He had made one for each of them, for when they accidentally got separated. They could send coordinates or maps to where they would meet back up. He looked at the screen. They weren't too far away. And by now the hunters were far enough away so he could avoid them.

So he packed up his things and tucked Anura into his bag. He pulled his scarf up over his head, hoping to hide his face, and he headed out. It wasn't too long of a trek; half an hour was all, although bits of pain kept shooting up behind his eye and he had to stop for it to go away.

"Junior!"

He jumped and looked up at the call, seeing his dads and hurrying over. Fiddleford quickly pulled him into a hug, sighing.

"Lord, that ain't ever gonna get no easier," he said, kissing the boy's cheek.

"Dad, I'm fine," Junior insisted. Fiddleford pulled back to look him over.

"What happened there?" He frowned, touch lingering over the bandage above his eye.

"I guess the hunters got me a bit. But it's not too bad, promise."

"Was it just a scratch, or is something in there?" Ford asked, kneeling beside them.

"Just a scratch," Junior insisted.

"Well, that's better than the alternative," Ford sighed and smiled. He hugged Junior, kissing his forehead. "Love you, buddy. Now come on. We still have a ways to hike if we wanna find a safe shelter by nightfall."


End file.
